White Mass

[mikey6]

Does anyone know why Sofrinitsky did not play this piece? (i'm guessing most of you know it's Scraibin's 7th sonata) I read he neglected it because of personal reasons. Maybe something Scriabin felt about it?

[pita bread]

That's really odd.

[piazzo23]

I donīt know how much of that is true. But Iīve read somwhere Scriabin believed he was Jesus. And he admired Madame Blavatsky, a famous medium, the author of Isis unveiled, and fundator of Theosophy.
He was after supernatural things.

[mikey6]

Ok, but then why would sofrinitsky neglect that particular piece? I thought most of Scriabin's late works in particular are involoved with mysticism and all that type of stuff.

[lostinidlewonder]

Scriabin wrote the White Mass to act as an excorsism for the Black Mass Sonata. Perhaps he wanted to neglect it so that the evil spirits of this music remain. OOO spooky.

[quantum]

But wasn't White Mass written before Black Mass?

[thracozaag]

  The 7th was actually an exorcism of the 6th sonata (which Scriabin apparently never publicly performed)--even though the 7th and 6th share some rather interesting similarities, particularly in the 'b' theme.  Scriabin did not give the title Black Mass to the 9th (he did entitle the 7th white mass), but approved of the title, nonetheless.  Not sure why Sofronitsky didn't perform the 7th, something I should have asked his daughter when I had the chance.
  Further reading regarding the sonatas here, if you're interested:

https://www.pianosociety.com/index.php?id=179

koji

[thracozaag]

But wasn't White Mass written before Black Mass?

  I consider the Black mass to be the 6th sonata, not the 9th (although the 9th undoubtedly deals with darkness).

koji